“Of course,” he told Ryan Seacrest. “I think there’s something about getting into chlorine water that that you just automatically go.”

America’s swimming heartthrob quickly added that he has not relieved himself during races in London.

“But I sure did in warm-up,” Lochte said.

On one hand, you appreciate his candor. On another, Eeewww.

Do we really need to know that? More importantly, do millions of young, impressionable minds that are attached to young, impressionable kidneys?

On the scale of Olympic misbehavior, pool urination doesn’t qualify for a bronze medal. In London alone we’ve have eight badminton players sent home for tanking.

An Aussie rower was arrested after getting drunk and busting up a storefront. An Albanian weightlifter and Russian cyclist failed drug tests. And a Swedish dressage rider was accused of abusing his horse by using the dreaded “rollkur” training method.

The difference is your kids probably won’t be in a position to rollkur a horse or throw an international badminton match. They will be in a position to pee in a pool.

It’s not just kids. A study by the Water Quality and Health Council found that one out of five American adults relieve themselves in the pool.

And that familiar pool smell? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just chlorine. It happens when chlorine mixes with you-know-what.

Same with red eyes. If it were just chlorine in the pool, your eyes would burn and glow after a brisk swim.

The study did not cite underage statistics, but you can bet five out of five children pee in the pool. The last thing they need is a free-flowing Olympic role model.

Lochte was already is shaky water there. He tried to wear a $25,000 jewel-encrusted grill on the medal stand. His mother went on NBC and said her boy is too dedicated to his craft to have time for a girlfriend. But he likes “one-night stands.”

Lochte said his mother wasn’t serious, and that he’s not the type to fool around. Role model or not, he’s earned buckets of admiration.